Thank you for your support during these unprecedented times, first with Covid-19 and the Shelter-In-Place order, and now with the nationwide awareness of racism. This is truly a uniquely challenging year. We are learning to adapt to this new world. Thank you for meeting all these challenges with your open minds and with optimism.

Here is short recap of our PTA contributions during 2019-2020:

Volunteer Hours: For this truncated school year, our parents put in 1262.9 hours to support our school’s community! And, we know this number is on the low side because many of you just show up to lend a helping hand for our school and PTA events and programs – THANK YOU!

Donations: In 2019-2020, the Greene PTA received ~$179K in donations. THANK YOU!!

Almost 70% of your donations went to support our students at Greene. Top 3 categories:

~$33,000 for Teacher Supplies. Each of our 120+ Greene staff members is eligible for a PTA grant of $500 max to spend on classroom needs. Teachers used this fund to purchase equipment and supplies to directly benefit your children’s education. Items purchased by teachers included headphones for chromebooks, microphones, magazine subscriptions, supplies for arts and science classes, etc.

~$28,000 for Arts and Enrichment. The biggest chunk of this category goes to the deep cleaning and refurbishment of school instruments, which occurs over the summer when instruments are returned. Your donations also funded materials and tools for Industrial Tech, clay, paint, paper for Art, and the food for the Cooking classes, etc.

Another 5% went to Staff Appreciation This year, we hosted 3 Luncheons for the entire staff: Back to School, Valentine’s, and Staff Appreciation Week (1st week of May). Also every month until March, we treated Greene staffers to a Latte Cart and bagels from Izzy’s.

PTA Community/ Events came in ~20% of our spending, for all of our PTA programs and events: Back To School Social, Cotillion Dance, Parent Education seminars, Parent Network meetings, Just Parties Kick-Off Party, Ice Skating Parties, International Potluck, including the revamped Promotion Party become Promotion Gifts. Due to the school closure, your donations to the Greene PTA contributed $50 per 8th grade student for a package of promotion gifts including a contribution of $5000 to Palo Alto Community Fund‘s Covid-19 fund as their promotion gift back to the community.

The last 5% went to “Admin” which is mainly a split between the bank/credit card fees (a.k.a. PayPal) when purchases are made through our webstore and for printing/postage fees for the school.

With so much uncertainty in the next few months, the incoming Executive Board of the Greene PTA is still brainstorming and planning for the next school year, examining PTA programs, events, and budget for alignment with our community’s needs. We believe community-building and supporting mental health will be prevalent themes in our offerings.

Lastly, we hope that you continue to care for yourself and your family over the summer. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful school community and child advocacy group. We wish you a restful and splendid summer with your loved ones.

Students are invited back to campus one final time this year to complete the check-out process. Students will have up to one hour to be on campus to check out, however we anticipate check out to take NO LONGER than 20-30 min. Please check the chart below for students’ assigned checkout times. If you are unable to come to campus during your assigned time, please contact our data secretary, Ms. Ruth Jang, at rjang@pausd.org to arrange for an alternate check out time.

Please note:

Everyone will need to adhere to social distancing guidelines- staying 6 feet apart from other individuals while on campus. We will have tape and cones set up to aid with this.

Students should arrive wearing masks and gloves.

Bags will be provided for students to collect their belongings.

Only students will be permitted on campus. If students are dropped off, parents must remain in their vehicle at all times. Students may ride their bikes- Bike Cage #2 (on N. California Ave) will be open and monitored for social distancing guidelines.

Students need to bring the following items for check-out:

Textbooks (Math, Social Studies, Science, and any reading books borrowed from classrooms)

Library books

Music instrument

Chromebook (ONLY IF YOU ARE MOVING OUT OF PALO ALTO)

While on campus, students will:

Check in at the check in table located in front of the main office

Return items at designated collection stations

Clean out PE locker

Clean out hallway locker

Pick up medication (if needed)

Pick up projects and student work (if needed- teachers will communicate directly with students if they have items to give back)

Return lock (for 8th grade and any non-returning students)

Check out and leave campus immediately

What to do if your student has lost items:

If you are able to pay for your lost items please either give your student:

Exact Change if paying in cash, in a marked envelope with student’s name and what item is being paid for

A check for each item that has been lost (must be separate checks for each item)

If you are unable to pay for your lost item, we understand.

You may still make any donation that is feasible for your family or if no donation is possible please have your student notify the librarian as to which item has been lost.

Please remind your child that they must leave campus immediately after check out. No socializing or loitering on campus.

Yearbooks will be distributed at a later date (TBD). Production has been delayed. We will contact you once they are available for pick up.

Student Check out Schedule – To help us control the number of people on campus, students must come at their assigned times. If you are not able to come during your time block please contact rjang@pausd.org to arrange an alternate time.

Monday, June 1

Student Last Name

9:00-9:45

A

10:00-10:45

Ba-Bl

11:00-11:45

Bo-By, Ca-Ce

12:00-12:45

Ch

1:00-1:45

Cl-Cz

2:00-2:45

D

Tuesday, June 2

Student Last Name

9:00-9:45

E, F, Gai-Gar

10:00-10:45

Ge-Gy, Haa-Hal

11:00-11:45

Ham-Ho

12:00-12:45

Hu-Hw, I, J

1:00-1:45

Ka-Ku

2:00-2:45

Kw-Ky, La-Le

Wednesday, June 3

Student Last Name

9:00-9:45

Li-Ly, Ma-Mag

10:00-10:45

Mai-Mi

11:00-11:45

Mo-My, N, O

12:00-12:45

P, Q

1:00-1:45

R

2:00-2:45

Sa-Shy

Thursday, June 4

Student Last Name

9:00-9:45

Si-Str

10:00-10:45

Su-Sz, T, U

11:00-11:45

V

12:00-12:45

Wa-Wh

1:00-1:45

Wi-Wu, X

2:00-2:45

Y, Z

As we wrap up this very unique school year, we want to extend our deepest appreciation for the support you have provided your children this year. We look forward to seeing your student soon.

For nearly two decades, Ana Homayoun has worked with teenagers on executive functioning skills – organizing, planning, prioritizing – and her work focuses on ways to help students manage distractions and promote overall wellness.

In this talk, Ana will share strategies on how to promote social and emotional wellness, and offer suggestions on how parents can bridge the divide with children who are experiencing a number of confounding disappointments and losses. She’ll also talk about how to reset summer and offer suggestions for helping students navigate the upcoming school year.

Ana will speak for 30-35 minutes, then open up the forum for a live question-and-answer session. We hope you can join us!

Traditionally, the first week of May is Staff Appreciation Week and is hosted by PTAs and PTOs across our nation. In the past at Greene, PTA/parent volunteers have hosted a luncheon for the entire staff, students and parents have directly presented words of thanks, and the campus would be filled with gratitude and appreciation. This year, as with all activities as we Shelter-In-Place, we are changing the week up a bit.

In conjunction with various Greene student groups, we will be creating a video of thanks and appreciation. There are over 120 staff members at Greene. The teachers and front office staff are the most visible to parents – please think about the counselors, aides, food service folks, custodians, and specialists. We would love feedback on everybody, please. Both students and parents are welcome to share. Click here to express your thanks. Please fill out as many forms for as many staff members as you would like. Feedback is due by May 12th.

Want to do more? Please feel free to share your appreciation for the Greene teachers and staff who are working hard to meet this challenging time any way you see fit. Students and parents may email messages of appreciation directly, create artwork, poems and video messages to share, or send an e-gift card. Email addresses for all staff members can be found on the Greene school website.